Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Chang and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $965 in Koh Chang, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$965

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Chang and in Karachi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Koh Chang and in Karachi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $965 in Koh Chang versus $490 in Karachi.

Koh Chang $965
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,583 in Koh Chang versus $755 in Karachi.

Koh Chang $1,583
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,200 in Koh Chang versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Koh Chang $2,200
Karachi $1,019

Living in Koh Chang is roughly 97% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Chang 28% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 ฿121

$2.15 PKR 596

68.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.36 ฿883

$13.37 PKR 3,700

97.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.99 ฿234

$5.29 PKR 1,464

32.14%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.26 ฿75.6

$2.11 PKR 583

7.11%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 ฿25.91

$0.37 PKR 103

108.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.29

$0.28 PKR 78.2

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ฿68.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ฿101

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$0.86 PKR 238

73.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿44.00

$0.52 PKR 144

151.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.17

$1.24 PKR 344

13.71%

Eggs

$1.96 ฿65.8

$1.24 PKR 342

58.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.61 ฿590

$5.86 PKR 1,622

200.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.00 ฿101

$3.12 PKR 862

-3.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 ฿323

$6.25 PKR 1,731

54.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ฿89.8

$1.29 PKR 356

107.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.7

$0.54 PKR 150

179.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.2

$0.99 PKR 273

109.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 ฿64.4

$0.56 PKR 155

242.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.44

$0.33 PKR 91.6

312.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿39.81

$0.35 PKR 95.9

240.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿33.88

$0.45 PKR 124

124.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.64

$0.44 PKR 121

13.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ฿133

$1.79 PKR 497

121.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.61 ฿556

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ฿55.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 ฿86.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 ฿61.2

$0.28 PKR 76.5

553.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ฿81.4

$0.92 PKR 255

164.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 ฿27.40

$0.71 PKR 196

15.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ฿99.7

$2.22 PKR 615

34.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ฿39.79

$1.35 PKR 372

-11.85%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.1K ฿707.5K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

18.46%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.5K ฿720.9K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-19.48%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$94.2 ฿3,152

$112 PKR 30.9K

-15.79%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.67 ฿357

$6.05 PKR 1,673

76.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.43 ฿550

$13.29 PKR 3,679

23.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.74 ฿1,498

$21.51 PKR 5,954

108.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.17 ฿307

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-48.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 ฿217

$4.42 PKR 1,222

46.38%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.4K

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

867.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ฿351.2K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

436.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ฿2,016

$17.57 PKR 4,862

242.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.51 ฿921

$22.78 PKR 6,304

20.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,026

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

33.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.4 ฿2,758

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

101.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 ฿15.8K

$117 PKR 32.5K

303.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 ฿10.1K

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

300.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 ฿44.7K

$365 PKR 101.1K

265.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ฿26.6K

$182 PKR 50.5K

335.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,276 ฿76.2K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

115.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,651 ฿55.3K

$491 PKR 135.8K

236.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.21

-57.83%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Koh Chang: October 5, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Koh Chang

$303 31.8%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 75% $227

Groceries & Markets

Koh Chang

$242 25.4%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 58.3% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Chang

$121 12.7%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 8.1% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Chang

$117 12.3%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 42.8% $50

Eating Out

Koh Chang

$98 10.3%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 37.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Chang

$58 6.1%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 47.4% $27

Getting Around

Koh Chang

$14 * 1.5%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 10.2% $1.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $473 in Koh Chang and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Koh Chang vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $242 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

13:37 1:37 PM

2 h behind Koh Chang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,500

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Koh Chang Karachi 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Chang
Karachi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Koh Chang vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Chang and Karachi differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($965 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,448 in Koh Chang and $735 in Karachi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $473 in Koh Chang versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 140% higher in Koh Chang. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $965 per month in Koh Chang versus $490 in Karachi – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $490 in Karachi versus $965 in Koh Chang, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Koh Chang. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Koh Chang and Karachi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Koh Chang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.